Product Description

The second solo release from 116 Clique standout Sho Baraka is a heavy-hitting set of sample-based hiphop and synth-heavy R&B styles, boasting intricate rhymes, catchy hooks and gritty life stories. Lions and Liars breaks down the difference between living a life for God and what the media calls success, relating tales of urban wisdom and Gospel truth on tracks featuring guest spots from Lecrae, K-Drama, J.R., and others.

Two and a half years since the debut of his freshman album "Turn My Life Up", Sho has something new for your ears with his latest release "Lions and Liars".While "Turn My Life Up" might be summed up as a steady dose of high energy songs with catchy and memorable hooks - "Lions and Liars" exudes a more mature and introspective feel overall.Generally speaking, I suspect that "Turn My Life Up" would have more appeal to a wider, more mainstream audience - while "Lions and Liars" is likely to resonate on a deeper, more personal level with a slightly smaller audience.That is certainly not to say that the album doesn't have it's fair share of catchy anthems however. After all, you wouldn't expect an entirely subdued album from the "Why so serious?" rapper a.k.a. Mr. B. Scientific himself would you?In fact, the album gets off to a roaring start almost immediately as soon as the intro track cuts into an excellent beat that some Christian Rap fans may recognize as a tastefully remodeled version of the same beat found on the track "Take a Deep Breath" offered by the Truce Crew in 2006.The album then moves along to a skillfully crafted track titled "Lions Anthem" which uses clever word play to describe scenarios of how real world Christians can work to serve the Lord in and through their everyday occupations.The following tracks "Famous" and "Shut Us Down" are some of the albums strongest entries, only to be outdone by Sho's well publicized masterpiece "We can be More" which features the silky smooth vocals of J.R.Overall, "Lions and Liars" is a solid chunk of meat that just about any lion should be pleased to sink their teeth into.It has been awarded a Gold Medal by CrossRap and is a highly recommended purchase. For a more detailed breakdown of the album where each song is rated individually, please visit the CrossRap website.